Mike’s Mailbag 9/26

Mike’s Mailbag 9/26

The Baseball Page

Mike's Mailbag

Mike’s Mailbag 9/26

Triple Crowns, Bones Jones, Mayweather, the best female sportscasters, and a Manny comeback

After hearing people rub the Bills in my face for the last 24 hours, I didn't get a single football question. So let's be thankful for that. I did however get asked about triple crowns, Bones Jones, Mayweather, the best female sportscasters, and a Manny comeback amongst other things.

Are we going to see a triple crown this year?

I really doubt it, not batting at least. I wish we would. I’ve never seen a hitter get a triple crown in my lifetime. Kemp will easily win RBI (120). He’s currently tied for HRs with Pujols (37). However Ryan Braun is hitting .333 while Kemp is batting .324. He needs to go on a tear for the final few games while Braun would need to slump. Pitching wise, Verlander will win a pitching triple crown. It’s a done deal. The only way that Verlander won win it is if Weaver pitches one more game to push the Angels into the playoffs. Weaver’s ERA is 2.41, Verlander is 2.40. Kershaw will in it in the NL. We see the pitching triple crown a lot more often.

Can anyone beat Bones Jones?

No, no any active fighter that I've seen at his weight can put up a good fight. I didn’t get a chance to see that last fight but I’m not a Rampage fan. He’s a great fighter, but he lost me the season that he coached The Ultimate Fighter. Jon Jones is so young (24), he’s got the athleticism, the wrestling, the reach – There’s not much he can’t do. I’d Evans face him next.

Manny comeback! Manny comeback!

Well I made my opinion known on Manny. I really think this is a story about nothing. Manny is not going to play in MLB ever again. No one will sign him at this point. Even if someone thought about it, he’d still have to serve his 100-game suspension. Look for Manny to take the Jose Canseco route of playing in independent leagues, or overseas. Maybe we will get to see Manny do celebrity boxing and write a book about steroids? Well, Manny's will be a coloring book.

Who is your favorite female sportscaster?

That’s a tough one. There is a difference between reporters and sportscasters. I always loved Amalie Benjamin but she no longer covers the Red Sox. I guess my favorite reporter currently is Amy K. Nelson, also from MA. She broke the Blue Jays sign stealing story. For sportscasters, I like Sage Steel on ESPN. My favorite female sportscaster right now has got to be Michelle Beadle. She knows about sports & pop culture, has a sense of humor, and is quirky. I listen to her podcast regularly and Nelson, and Jemele Hill are on from time to time. I’m a fan of all of them. I don’t know much about local reporters/sportscasters unless they are from Boston, the other ones I know of are all national.

I don’t even know much about this story - This is what I’ve gathered though. Someone in the media apparently texted him before he pitched last night asking personal questions. At the time I assumed it was New York media, maybe Boston, it ends up that it might have been TMZ. I just assume that because I saw that TMZ broke a story this morning about him filing for divorce today. In fact this story was posted before 1am, just hours after the game last night.

Who won, Mayweather or Ortiz?

More like, who lost less? I’d say Mayweather lost less. Ortiz’s headbutt was clearly intentional. The boxers touched gloves and hugged a little, some weird stuff was going on, Mayweather took a step back and landed two solid shots before Ortiz knew it was coming. It was a dirty shot, but they touched gloves and Ortiz should have defended himself. Even the ref seemed stunned, but they touched gloves.

Who will be the top Free Agents this offseason? Best bargain?

Obviously Pujols, Prince, and Reyes will be the top contracts. I expect CC to opt out and the Yankees will break the bank. He will be the highest contract in free agency. I expect the Cubs to sign one of the first base men. For value, C.J. Wilson should be a good value. He’s 31 but he could get a 4 or 5 year deal. I feel like he is underrated around baseball, but being the best lefty, he could possibly get overpaid. I also think that Brandon Phillips will be a great bargain for someone – part of the reason being how shallow second base is.

A couple things that I found interesting.

Yesterday Dontrelle Willis got his first win of the year - he was 0-6. He hit a 2 run double in the sixth the drive in the good ahead run which the Reds held on to. He's also now hitting .400 for the year.

And lastly Arch West died on September 20th. Wes was the inventor of the Dorito chip. His family is going to lay dozens of chips next to his ashes.